In a charming and unexpected throwback, Tina Knowles shared a memorable moment from her daughter Solange’s childhood involving the late hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur.
In her memoir Matriarch, Tina recalls how a 5-year-old Solange once crossed paths with Tupac during a trip to California with Beyoncé’s early girl group, Girls Tyme—before they became Destiny’s Child.
The scene unfolded in 1991 in Sausalito, where the girls were recording demos. While Tina was busy, she suddenly realized little Solange was missing.
She soon found her sitting comfortably, smiling brightly, surrounded by a couple of young men smoking weed—one of whom was Tupac. The rapper, known for his raw and charismatic energy, was reportedly captivated by Solange’s presence and called her “really special.”
Tina fondly described Tupac as a “confident wanderer,” often off on his own adventures. Solange, animated and full of life, was talking and dancing, clearly enchanting the future rap legend.
Years later, when Tupac’s fame soared, it was Beyoncé who got to know him well—joking that her sister was probably sharing “all these stories about us” with the rapper back then.
Tina’s memoir also offers insight into her own journey and why she decided to share her story after initially fearing the spotlight would fall too heavily on her famous children. Matriarch is now available wherever books are sold.
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